Proceed with Caution 2023: Tight Ends
Like with the previous article and the one to come this section will list what these articles are for and how I did last year. For those who don't care, feel free to jump down to the players I picked. Remember, this is titled "Proceed with Caution" because I'm not telling you to avoid drafting them outright, I'm merely suggesting you don't throw all your eggs into their baskets. I'd consider my pick successful if they finished below the top 10 for QB, TE and D, and below the top 20 for RB and WR. Last year I went 2 for 3 (Dawson Knox was just outside the top ten, and Cameron Brate was well below that).
David Njoku (Cleveland): Watson's never really had an affinity for this position in the pros. Granted he didn't really have a lot of talent at the position in Houston, but you can look at the final five games last season (Njoku missed week 13) and see that the concern looms. In four of those five games Njoku had less than 5 receptions, and in all five he had less than 60 yards. Prior to Watson taking over Njoku had five (of nine games) with 5 or more receptions and four games with over 60 yards. He's currently the 10th TE being taken, and I feel like there are better options available.
Jake Ferguson (Dallas): Ferguson's been the projected starter at the position since Schultz left in free agency. There's a couple of things wrong with that assumption, and with people listing him as a sleeper option. First, Dallas drafted Luke Schoonmaker in the 2nd round this year, and they used Peyton Hendershot a decent amount last season. Second, Lamb saw a big leap in targets last year, while Schultz saw a pretty big drop. My prediction is Dallas uses a rotation at the position, and the addition of Brandin Cooks and a healthy Michael Gallup ends up costing this position even more targets.
Irv Smith Jr. (Cincinnati): Oh man, Cincinnati signed Irv Smith, he's finally going to get his chance to show his talent...HA. He's had some sort of injury in every season of his career to date. If he actually stays healthy I'll be shocked. Plus, even if he does stay healthy, this is not a position Burrow utilizes. He didn't in college, and he hasn't as a pro. Why would he when he has arguably the top receiving trio in the league?
